Ville Leino
| birth_place = Savonlinna, Finland | ntl_team = Finland | draft = Undrafted | career_start = 2002 }} Ville Leino (born on October 6, 1983) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward who currently plays for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings and the Philadelphia Flyers. Playing Career Ville began playing for his hometown hockey team SaPko in the Suomi-sarja when he was 17 years old. He was recruited into the SM-liiga by Ilves and later moved on to HPK where he led the team in scoring in the 2005-06 season when HPK won their first SM-liiga championship. In 2007, Ville was signed by Jokerit where he was switched from center to wing. In his first season with the team, he broke the club record for most points in the regular season when he surpassed Timo Sutinen's record of 73. He went on to finish second in scoring, and won the Lasse Oksanen trophy for the best player during the regular season in the SM-liiga. On May 10, 2008, Ville was signed a one-year contract as a free agent with the Detroit Red Wings. Due to the Red Wings salary cap issues, he was then assigned to affiliate the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL. Red Wings coach Mike Babcock commented that he was the "best player" he had ever sent to the minors. On January 29, 2009, he was eventually recalled in from the Griffins and made his NHL debut on January 31, 2009 where he scored a goal in the first period against goaltender Jose Theodore in a 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. Ville is one of the few players that have scored a goal in their first NHL appearance. On July 6, 2009, he signed a one-way, two-year extension with the Red Wings. On February 6, 2010, Ville was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and Philadelphia's fifth-round choice (Mattias Backman) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He had two goals and two assists in fourteen games with the Flyers in the regular season. Ville started the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the press box, but injuries to Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter called him into action. Forming the most potent line in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with Daniel Briere and Scott Hartnell, he recorded seven goals and fourteen assists for 21 points in 19 games which tied the rookie record for most points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs held by Dino Ciccarelli. On March 12, 2011, Ville recorded his first career hat-trick against the Atlanta Thrashers. On April 24, 2011 (during the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against Buffalo), he scored the game-winning goal in overtime of game 6 of the series to bring Philadelphia even with Buffalo, 3 games to 3. He finished the playoffs with three goals and two assists as the Flyers were swept in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins. On July 1, 2011, Ville signed a six-year, $27 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres as a free agent. His performance during the 2011–12 season was much maligned as he scored only eight goals with 17 assists during 71 games despite signing a hefty contract during the off-season. Career Statistics Awards & Achievements *SM-liiga: All-Star (2006 and 2008) *SM-liiga: Player of the month (January 2006 and October 2007) *SM-liiga: Lasse Oksanen trophy for best player of the regular season (2008) Records *NHL: Most points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs by a rookie (21) (2010) (tied with Dino Ciccarelli) *NHL: Most assists in the Stanley Cup Playoffs by a rookie (14) (2010) *NHL: Most assists in the Stanley Cup Finals by a rookie (6) (2010) International Play Ville made his international debut on Team Finland on the 2006–07 Euro Hockey Tour. Category:1983 births Category:Jokerit players Category:Detroit Red Wings players Category:Philadelphia Flyers players Category:Buffalo Sabres players